Graduates hunting for that all-important first step on the
career ladder could be missing out on lucrative opportunities, by
ignoring the role of recruitment agencies.
Research shows that companies in the UK spend almost
£20billion with recruitment companies each year, indicating
the vast number of job positions filled with candidates sourced by
consultants. However, a number of graduates choose to only apply
directly to companies, missing out on these opportunities.
Richard Wilcock of the Career Development Team, at University of
Leicester said: "Graduate recruitment agencies and consultancies
play a huge role in the graduate recruitment market, but are often
an overlooked or misunderstood resource."
Leicester University was the host of last month's Association of
Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS) event. Speaking on the
day, Lee Clarke, of Midlands-based Discovery, a graduate
recruitment specialist, explained that while some of the businesses
that consultancies represent may not be the household names of the
'milk round', they do offer significant career and development
opportunities.
He went on to explain that recruitment firms work closely with
their clients, meaning that the consultant who arranges an
interview can offer graduates a valuable insight into the cultural,
as well as technical, or functional, requirements of the job.
Mr Clarke, Divisional Sales Manager for Discovery, said: "It is
important to us that we provide our candidates with lots of support
and advice along the way. We firmly believe that feedback and
coaching has a key part to play in helping students secure their
graduate job."
The one-day AGCAS event highlighted the growing importance of
recruitment consultancies in the graduate market, not only for job
applicants, but also for businesses themselves.
Mr Wilcock added: "More than just a recruitment consultancy,
Discovery Graduates clearly pride themselves on providing a first
class service to graduates and clients alike, throughout the
employment cycle."
In addition to sourcing candidates for a job vacancy, Discovery
goes on to provide ongoing training and support for the candidate,
through its unique OPEN Programme.
This offers a three-pronged approach to candidate development,
including experiential learning, to highlight and develop skills,
and a Postgraduate Certificate accreditation, alongside projects
and stretch assignments, which show measurable results in personal
development and business improvement.